Thursday, May 17, 2012

I did it. I made macarons. Finally, I can apply for my food
blogger merit badge! Hold on, I’m being told I still need to make mini-cupcakes
and a quinoa salad to qualify. Oh well, I’ve waited this long.

Anyway, this was my first attempt at macarons, and for not
having any clue what I was doing, I was quite happy with the results. They
looked fine, and the texture was almost identical to the ones sold at Chantal Guillon, a famous macaron bar here in San Francisco.

So, was it beginners luck? Yes. You would think since I
waited three years to make these, I would have done more research, but I did
almost none. In fact, I literally used the first chocolate macaron recipe I
found, which happened to be from David Lebovitz. He’s an American, but he lives
in Paris, so I figured I was okay.

I watched a few videos, read a few articles, had a couple
drinks, looked at a few step-by-steps, and off I went. One thing I did notice was every single
resource used a different recipe, as well as different times, temperatures, and
techniques. So, I figured I would just use my instincts and try the most
straightforward method possible.

I didn’t do any high-heat/low-heat tricks; no waiting for
the tops to dry; no sugar syrups, etc. I just made the batter, piped it out,
baked them off, and as you can see, they were not bad at all. One thing I did
figure out all by myself was to use the ugly ones as the bottoms. By the way,
there’s a very inappropriate metaphor there, if you’re looking.

So, here’s the deal; if you’ve never made these before, I
hope this inspires you to give them a go. Believe me, if I can do these anyone
can. However, if you’re an experienced macaron maker, we’d love to have you
chime in. I can’t wait for this comment section to fill up with invaluable tips
and tricks for what I should have done, and how I should have done it.

I know I piped them wrong. You’re not supposed to make a
swirl, but keep the tip pressed in the center as you squeeze. I also heard that
I should have cooked one pan at a time, because the bottom pan is more likely
to crack. What else? Don’t worry about my feelings…after four years of posting
videos on YouTube, I don’t have any left…so let me have it. And, as always, enjoy!

I have a few tips there for you:-let them sit a little before baking until. this prevents cracking after baking-after baking, immediately pull the baking paper on a wet surface. this helps you with removing them when cooled-instead of only sifting the ingredients try to put them in a blender first-use a recipe where eggwhites are measured in grams. thats more exact-prepare eggwhites the night before, and let them sit in the fridge. it don't know what this little trick does-but it seems to help-just prepare as many macarons as you can bake together in one oven. the batter cannot be kept too long.

My family prefers white macarons with dark chocolate ganache. Sometimes I sprinkle some cinnamon on the shells before baking. It looks really fancy!

You said "don't worry about my feelings", so here goes.Although your macarons look like delicious cookies, they are a failure. A successful macaron must have "feet" or "skirt" around the edge. To achieve that, it's all in the temperature control during baking. 350F all through baking won't work.Suggestion:1.Preheat oven to 200C, insert macarons.Immediately turn off oven, leave oven door ajar with 2 thick oven mittens for 6 minutes.(This burst of high temperature forms the shell of the macarons).2.When 6 minutes pass, remove mittens, close oven door, turn oven back to 140C. (This forces the uncooked batter inside the hardened shell to spill out of the cookie forming the "skirt").3.Watch the macarons through oven door, when you see the feet/skirt starts to form, turn temperature to 120C immediately and bake for 3 minutes. (This cooks the macarons).4.When the 3 minutes is up,turn temperature to 100C and bake for 5 minutes (to dry out the inside of the macarons).5.When the 5 minutes is up,turn off oven and leave the door closed and the macarons inside for 8 minutes.(This final step prefects the cookies)6.Remove from oven and let macarons cool in the tray.More suggestions:1.Your egg white could go for another minute of beating, it didn't look stiff enough.2.Let piped macarons rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking. 3.Use a toothpick to burst any bubbles on the macarons. Don't tap the tray.4.My suggested baking method works for batter piped to 3cm diameter rounds on a non-stick oven paper.Put a template of traced 3cm circles under the oven paper for accuracy.5.One minute difference in any step of the baking process could make or break the final appearance of the macarons. (Oven A might take more or less time than oven B).Truly,Susanna(I'm ready for hate mail from Chef John's fans now)

A true/perfect macaron should have bigger feet or like the uniformed flare of a chiffon skirt when the wearer twirls. Your cookies' "feet" are not up to the acceptable size. They would score poorly in the evening gown event in a Miss Macaron pageant.Truly,Susanna

Hello Chef John! WOW, congratulations! If that was your first-ever attempt at macarons then it was a great effort. First, macarons are very temperamental = they're not easy to make. It's easy to botch up a batch...or two...or three. :) Second, chocolate shells are probably one of the hardest shells to make. No kidding! That's because cocoa dries the mixture and throws the macaron batter out of whack. But you managed quite fine. Sure they're not perfect and the little feet are a teeny bit too little but hello people - first attempt, okay?? Piping perfect circles is not easy - this Macaron Template should help. Also The Macaron Master shows how to start a macaron business from home - for those who are interested! Thank you for a great post, Chef John!

The recipe was really great and I'm glad you introduced us to how to make macarons.

I made them today and I may have a few problems with the end product. First, my macarons came out with lots, and lots of cracks. And second, they didn't have tiny feet on them too. They looked cooked when I took them out of the over and I have no idea what happened.

Do you have any idea what happened? If yes, can you share them with me? I'm not an accomplished baker and I would really love the tips.

You actually can't make your own powdered sugar. What you're making is superfine or "instant" sugar. It's great for cold drinks because it dissolves immediately. Commercially produced powdered sugar contains cornstarch, and so it acts differently in baking and cooking.

It's probably not a good idea to toss the dry ingredients in while the mixer is running because it'd be too easy to overmix the egg whites. The feel you get by doing it by hand gives important feedback.

The only substitution you could make for almond flour would be other nut flours - and that wouldn't help you if it's a question of allergy. The problem is that ground nuts are not ground grains, and act differently in baking. Besides, that's like asking how to make chocolate cake but substitute something else for chocolate.

The David Lebovitz recipe actually calls for unsweetened Dutch process cocoa. I have made it several times with regular unsweetened cocoa with good results. I finally splurged and bought some outrageously expensive Dutch process cocoa thinking they would be even better and had my first failed batch - cracked tops and no feet. I think the acidity of the regular cocoa helps stabilize the meringue or something.

So chef john i love your video first of all but i have a question i know youre from san francisco i live here too but i dont know were i can get almond flour can you recomend a place thank youuu Isabel.

Chef John, I've been looking to make these types of cookies recently and I've found in the Cooks Illustrated recipe they let the piped cookies sit at room temp for one hour before baking. Apparently they form a skin of sorts and that helps prevent cracking!

Amazingly done for first try, I must say. First time I made them, it turned into a flat feet-less...thing. Anyway, here are some tips that I find useful (that I think others haven't mentioned:

-you should fold the macaron batter until it is a bit at the ribbon stage. To test for that, take a bit of the batter and drop it on your hand. If the batter spreads a bit and the 'peak' disappears and create a smooth surface, it's done. Remember, macarons shouldn't have a dome on top, like the ones sold in shops. Then are flat and stackable :)

-use your silicone baking mat!!! it works amazingly, and the macaron won't stick to the pan, plus it prevents over cooking :)

-After you pipe the macarons and you have some 'peaks' dip your hand in water and just tap it down with your finger.

-Like other people said, leave the piped macaron to dry for 10-15 minutes. Then, and only then, can you do the tappa tappa. That way, it would make the feet more...feety.

-After the macaron is cooked, don't take it out of the oven just yet. Turn of the oven, and let the macaron sit for 2-3 minutes, with the oven door cracked open.

I read a lot of french books written by french pastry chefs and not one single one of them indicate your direction for the temperature of the oven... I think it's a bit crazy because not two ovens will cool down at the same rate making your direction useless.

Second I think you have no idea what a Traditional Macaron looks like, you have certainly the image of all those macarons found in trendy shops, and that's just one aspect, they are many different appearances, equally acceptable (for ex Macarons Lorains, Macarons Hollandais have cracked surface, etc...). I suggest the book "Un amour de macaron" by Stephane Glacier if you can read french.

Calling Chef John's Macaron a failure is a bit excessive.

What is failure though is his Ganache, I personally think it is at least a misdemeanor to make a Ganache this way...

Thank you dear chef. Love the macaroooons. Love the absolutely foolproof recipe. And the feet look fine to me. And my feet came out just fine and tasted lovely :p Best baking greetings from Denmark, Europe.

When I first saw this video, it whetted my appetite for macarons, but I thought to myself: Chef John is no pastry chef; I better find myself a legit recipe. So I traipsed around the internet, used a recipe from some retired pastry chef with a pretty blog who will not be named, and FAILED. Epically. They were like flat sugar crackers. So I came back here, even more determined to have macarons, and I used this recipe. They came out beautifully. Not flawless, there was the odd cracked top, but the feet were there, the chewy inside was there, and I couldn't have been happier. I'm sorry I ever doubted you Chef John; I will never stray again.

Hi Chef John! So I have an embarrassingly short culinary skillset but I thought this looked manageable, so I gave it a try. They worked out, kind of! Some of mine cracked too, but I was expecting worse.

I have made these babies before and I loved them! I was wondering if I wanted to make pistachio macarons (just taking them up a notch), could I just replace the cocoa powder with the same weighted amount of pistacho powder? ...Ideally this could work...any thoughts? Thank you!

thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe with us,here's how my macrons look....https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151208413241859&set=a.10150150445401859.285544.579521858&type=1&theater

Hi,My name is Michael and I am 8 years old. I want to be a pastry chef when I grow up. Thank you for this great video about making chocolate macarons. My mom finally agreed to make them with me. It was our first try and they came out great! The feet were perfect and the cookies were gooey on the inside. I shared them with my family and friends. I will definitely make these again. Happy baking!Michael

I've been watching your macaron video like hundred times and I'm making my second attemp using your recipe, I hope this time I will succeed. Wish me luck! The first one came out feetless and crunchy, but still tasted good so I snacked on them anyway. Honestly, I've been really obssessed with this delicate cookie lately so I really wanted to make it my own...

1) NO, you cannot blend the flour in with your egg whites. It must be folded in with a spatula to keep the egg whites fluffy and with volume.

2) You must rap the cookie sheets at least 5-7 times each after piping the cookies onto the cookie sheets. This removes the air bubbles from the cookies, which prevents the cookies from cracking during baking.

3) Make sure the eggs are at ROOM TEMPERATURE.

4) Be sure to allow your piped cookies to sit for about 30 minutes so that they become smooth and dry on the crust (you should be able to touch the cookie without the batter sticking to you).

hi chef John! :) thanks for share this recipe.I want try this but, I confused about the egg white. wheter the egg white should to sit or not ? and if it should, so how long ? because there are some said to sit it about 24 hours or 5 hours ._. thanks chef :)

Hey Chef John!I'm a college student and it wasn't until I got to college that I got into cooking and baking. Something about basically being served jail food really motivated me to learn how to make more than just easy mac. I love desserts and I always wanted to tackle the french macaron. I've tried other times but it wasn't until I gave this a shot that they came out almost perfect (well almost perfect for me). Thank you.

Just look at these cute thangshttp://24.media.tumblr.com/ad7da08eb371afd943bd5be9ec5c0ec7/tumblr_mz2et6ax5N1qentn7o1_1280.jpg